Hurricane Sandy Sends High Winds, Waves Chicago’s Way

CHICAGO (CBS) — Hurricane Sandy is sending a gift to Chicago: powerful northerly winds that are expected to create giant waves along the lakefront and cause erosion and flooding here.

The National Weather Service has issued a Lakeshore Flood Warning from 1 a.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m.Wednesday. Winds of up to 60 mph will drive waves to heights of between 16 feet to 22 feet along the Cook County shoreline, the NWS said.

That could spell trouble for the Chicago-area coastline, as large waves batter the beaches, causing erosion and flooding. In Chicago, the NWS says, the bike path and South Lake Shore Drive could be “significantly impacted from these large waves.”

Things were already getting dicey Sunday along Chicago’s lakefront.

Wes and Emily Anderson attempted to take their boat “Wahoo” out of Belmont Harbor to Montrose Harbor and store it for the winter. They lasted only minutes.

“I got really wet and really cold very quickly,” Emily tells CBS 2’s Dana Kozlov. “Once we realized it was hard to control the boat with that big of waves, it was a no-brainer. It was time to turn around and come home.”

Meanwhile, the effects of Sandy could be felt at O’Hare and Midway airports, where some flights to the East Coast. On Monday morning, 350 flights were canceled at O’Hare and 65 were canceled at Midway.

On Monday morning, CBS 2’s Susanna Song reports most of those canceled flights are along the Northeast corridor, including Boston, Newark, Philadelphia and Boston. WBBM Newsadio’s Michelle Fiore reports, many of those flights were canceled to avoid having planes stranded once the storm hits.

Also, Amtrak was limiting stops on the East Coast for trains originating or passing through Chicago’s Union Station.

In New York, for instance, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday announced that the commuter transit agency that serves the New York City area will begin the suspension of all subway, bus and commuter railroad service at 7 p.m. Sunday. The New York City subway system will begin to curtail service after 7 p.m. Sunday, and the New York City bus system within the following two hours. Commuter rail service, such as the Long Island Rail Road, will start their final trains at 7 p.m. Sunday.